Chef and hospitality consultant

NEW LANEWAY PUB KIRK’S SET TO INSPIRE (PubTic)

The laneways of Melbourne have bred another trendy pub offering, as Kirk’s opens to complete the tripod picture in Hardware Lane.

Inspired by the original salubrious Kim Bowie Kirk pub in the building – which itself reportedly founded the world’s richest horse race, the Melbourne Cup – Kirk’s comprises Kirk’s Wine Bar, French Saloon bistro, and now “a proper pub” says co-owner Ian Curley.

“People want to come in and have a pint of good draught beer, with not a lot of hoo-ha,” Curley told PubTIC.

“It’s a new rendition of what we thought the pub original pub Kirk’s Bazaar Hotel would be like now.”

Curley says the pub part of Kirk’s is specifically intended to complement the other parts of the business, so as not to detract from them.

Himself a chef of 35 years, born in Coventry but calling Australia home for 25 years now, the menu features some pub snack English classics such as pork pies and Scotch eggs, with one hot meal on offer each day, such as pies, meatballs and pasta.

A product of many a kitchen, including his current fine-dining “hybrid creation” The European, Curley says other than that he once dated a girl whose parents owned a pub, this is his debut to the industry.

“Hardware Lane is such a good spot,” he says. “The Corner looks fantastic. We’re hoping to regenerate the area a bit, and attract people to our little bar-pub.”

Kirk’s is the brainchild of business partners Ian Curley, Con Christopoulos and Josh Brisbane.